Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

Chapter 393 The couple's first discussion about Xia Yu's marriage

Watching the cartloads of sticks being pulled away, Old Master Zhang's hands trembled. He wanted to ask what was going on. But his third son was still standing with the general, and Xia Yu was nowhere to be seen. He paced anxiously back and forth on the deck.

"Old man, what are you doing there? Stop shaking me, you're making me dizzy." Liu didn't understand what was bothering Old Master Zhang, so she spoke up to him.

"Didn't you see the corn was all taken away? You old woman, you don't understand anything." Old Master Zhang turned around and saw Liu Shi still watching the commotion, and muttered angrily.

"Hey, dad. We've taken all this corn away, are you going to leave it to us in the end?" Wang asked Zhang Youjin quietly.

"Probably not? Our third brother already has a title, would they dare to withhold our family's grain?" Zhang Youjin said uncertainly.

"Look how anxious our father is," Wang said, gesturing with her chin to the old man who was still pacing around on the deck.

Just as Grandpa Zhang was on the verge of collapse, Xia Yu finally appeared on the deck. Grandpa Zhang grabbed his granddaughter's arm and asked...

"Xiaxia, if we take all this grain to the barracks, they won't refuse to return it to us, will they?"

"Sir, don't worry, it won't happen. Everything has been discussed with General Murong. They will help us thresh the corn, and our corn cobs will be given to the warhorses in the military camp. It's a win-win situation for both sides."

"Are you sure there won't be any problems?" Old Master Zhang asked again, still not entirely at ease.

"There really won't be any problems, so please don't worry. Besides, it's still hundreds of acres away from our home. We'll need the commander to send someone to escort us back. Without his help, we can't get back safely, can we?" Xia Yu knew that this matter was handled too hastily, and they hadn't explained things to their family beforehand. They must be anxious watching the grain being taken away.

"Okay, okay, since everything is agreed upon, I'm relieved." Grandpa Zhang loosened his grip on his granddaughter's hand, but still stared intently at the baskets of corn cobs being carried out of the cabin.

They made quite a commotion here; a large crowd gathered at the dock to watch the spectacle.

Seeing the gleaming golden grain, some were tempted, but the sight of the armed soldiers escorting the wagons quickly suppressed their burgeoning desires. Daring to seize military rations was a capital offense, punishable by death and the extermination of one's entire family. Although grain prices had soared, the disaster situation here wasn't as severe as in Zhongzhou Prefecture, and most households still had considerable grain reserves. It wasn't worth risking their lives.

Uncle Ma led several men to stand on the deck of the cargo ship, counting the grain being transported out of the hold. They used baskets, each capable of holding about seventy pounds of corn. Regardless of how many cartloads were used, they only recorded the number of baskets filled with grain that came out of the hold.

They worked from noon until night before all the grain in the ship's hold was finally transported out.

Murong Zhe watched as the last cart of batter was transported away, and said to Zhang Youtie...

"My lord, where will you be staying tonight?"

"Sir, my family has already booked an inn in the city," Zhang Youtie replied.

“Staying at an inn is inconvenient. I have two empty courtyards at home. Why don’t you let the old lady and the ladies stay there? Although my wife is not here, I have a concubine who has been traveling with me all these years. She will definitely be able to take good care of the old lady and the ladies,” Murong Zhe said casually.

"Thank you very much, Lord Murong, but you have already gone to great lengths to handle this matter today, and I would never dare to trouble you further, Madam. Besides, my mother has already settled in at the inn, and it is inconvenient for us to move any further as it is getting late." Zhang Youtie politely declined Murong Zhe's offer.

"Well, since you put it that way, I won't force you. Rest assured about today's grain; not a single grain will be returned. All I want are those corn cobs. Speaking of which, I must thank you for your generous donation, Lord. Not only the corn cobs today, but also the silver you and Lord Wenfu donated in the main hall for the fallen soldiers. I thank you again on behalf of all the soldiers of Dahuai, Lord."

"General, you are too kind. This is what I should do as a citizen of Da Huai. It is because of the blood and sweat of you soldiers on the front lines that we can live and work in peace and contentment in the rear." Zhang Youtie said these words to Murong Zhe with a solemn expression, and then bowed deeply to him.

Murong Zhe was somewhat moved by Zhang Youtie's attitude; he hadn't expected that this man from an ordinary background would have such insight and magnanimity.

In that instant, Murong Zhe gave Zhang Youtie extremely high praise.

Only a few people remained on the boat to watch over it; the rest of the crew went to the inn with Zhang Youtie. They would be staying there for the next couple of days, but to avoid trouble, Zhang Youtie instructed his family members not to move around the inn unnecessarily.

That night, only Zhang Youtie, Liu Shi, and Xia Yu were in the room.

"Father, after we return home, we should also train some servants who know martial arts. Now that you have a title, you'll need a few personal guards when you're out and about," Xia Yu suggested.

"Let's talk about this when we get back. The world is in turmoil these days, and we can't let just anyone into our house. I was careless this time. I should have thought about the possibility of the river level dropping if it didn't rain. If I had considered that earlier, we wouldn't be in this predicament now." Zhang Youtie felt somewhat guilty for putting his entire family in such an unsafe situation.

Xia Yu regretted saying the wrong thing and quickly changed the subject.

"Mom, what should I give my eldest sister for her wedding next year?" Xia Yu steered the conversation toward Chunyu's wedding.

"Anything will do—jewelry, fabric, clothes. Think about it some more; there's still some time." Madam Liu smiled gently, looking at her daughter's eyes and brows. In another year, this girl would be of marriageable age, and their current situation was truly neither good enough nor bad enough. Thinking of this, Madam Liu's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"Miss, the water is ready." Nineteen's voice came from outside the door.

"Father, Mother, I'll go back to my room first. I'm all sweaty today, I need to take a shower," Xia Yu said to Zhang Youtie and Liu Shi.

"Go on, wash up and cool off," Liu said gently, tucking a stray hair behind her daughter's ear.

After Xia Yu left, Zhang Youtie looked at Liu Shi and asked...

"What's wrong? You seemed preoccupied earlier?"

“I’m so worried about my daughter’s marriage. She’ll be of marriageable age in a little over a year. What kind of family do you think we should find for her? If we find her an ordinary merchant, well, you have a title now, and our daughter is a village lady. If we find her a man with a title and an official position, they might not even look at someone like us. Sigh, every time I think about this, I get a headache.”

“I’ve been looking for a suitable candidate for the past few years. Just like you said, our family’s current status is really awkward, neither here nor there. But I’ve also thought that if Changyun could pass the imperial examination, that would be a completely different story,” Zhang Youtie said, expressing his thoughts.

"What do you mean?" Liu seemed to understand what he meant, but not quite.

“Wife, how can you, such a smart person, not see this clearly? If Changyun can pass the imperial examination, he will definitely get an official position. At that time, our family will be considered a proper official family with a successful academic background. With a sister who is a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) and the title of Xiangjun (county lady), our daughter's status will not be bad either. As for our daughter, we don't expect her to marry into a wealthy or noble family. It would be good to find a Jinshi from Changyun's cohort with a clean family background and noble character.”

After listening to Zhang Youtie's explanation, Liu followed his line of thought and continued speaking.

"Yes, you're right. But we must carefully examine their character before hiring them. We definitely shouldn't hire someone like Fang Juren."

“Of course, we’re not in a hurry. Let’s search slowly and we’ll eventually find a young man of good character and appearance,” Zhang Youtie comforted Liu.

Xia Yu, who was taking a bath, was unaware that her parents had already begun to consider her marriage. In her previous life, she was only a junior high school student, but in this era, her parents were already at the age where they were considering her lifelong happiness.